Zoinks!
by KuryakinGirl
Summary: A group of meddling kids from Stanford go on a ghost hunt.  Only one of them is experienced...   Pre-series for both shows


Disclaimer—Recognizable characters Chuck, Jill, Bryce belong to Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz. Recognizable characters Sam and Dean Winchester, Jessica and "Little" Becky belong to Erik Kripke. No copyright infringement intended. Any similarity to events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Author's Notes—Been trying to do a Chuck/Supernatural crossover for a while now. For whatever reason, when I really ought to be working on other projects, this plot bunny attacked with its big, sharp teeth, and I was completely helpless to defend against it. So... here we are.

Many thanks to the wonderfully talented, amazingly awesome Basched who took a few minutes out of her busy week to beta this, even while being ill! She's just plain incredible. :D Thank you, my friend.

Here's a couple things you might need to know or maybe you just forgot from Chuck: Chuck went to Stanford with Bryce and Jill...

The Road so Far for Supernatural—In the pilot episode, when Dean visits Sam at Stanford, he makes a comment about not having seen or talked to Sam in two years. Well. Here's the two years ago scenario. And Little Becky went to school with Sam, if you'll recall, from Skin.

Zoinks!—A group of meddling kids from Stanford go on a ghost hunt. Only one of them is experienced...

* * *

October 25, 2003

* * *

He couldn't believe that he was there, that he'd been _talked_ into going. He'd always been above peer pressure. But, how else could he explain why he was standing in the darkness with the familiar weight of a Maglite in his hands?

Sam Winchester was having the worst case of déjà vu imaginable. Only, instead of his big brother, he was with a bunch of rookies, his friends from college.

"Did you put the batteries in correctly?" Jill Roberts pushed her glasses further up on her nose, shining her light on the device in her boyfriend's hands.

Chuck Bartowski cleared his throat nervously. "I'm certain I did..."

"The directions that thing came with, it was like _War and Peace_," commented Bryce Larkin.

Part of Sam wanted to help Chuck figure it out. Part of him didn't want to reveal that he knew how to work an electromagnetic field-EMF-meter.

"Maybe we should just go,"said Jessica Moore. She was the most apprehensive of the group, as she kept glancing at the door.

"Oh, c'mon, Jess. It's not _real_, any of it," Rebecca-Becky-Warren said. "Ghosts? Haunted houses? These guys," she said, punching Bryce lightly in the arm, "just want us to be scared so we'll cuddle close."

Jessica turned her attention quickly to Sam, who was standing back from the group. After all, Jill and Chuck were together, and Bryce and Becky were dating, at least they were _hanging out_ an awful lot. So, that left just her and just Sam.

She'd heard quite a bit about the aloof pre-law major. Quiet, but friendly once you got to know him. A sweetheart of a guy. Becky and Jill had been chatting him up to her quite a bit. And while he was exactly how they had described him-classically tall, dark and handsome-she was completely _ill-__at-ease_ in the abandoned house in the middle of nowhere.

Sam offered her a pained smile, barely visible in the ambient light from the flashlights.

"Wait a sec, wait a sec..." Chuck hit the reset button on the EMF meter, and the light array at the top of the hand-held device lit up. "Aha! Check it out. Who wants to talk to Casper first?"

Again, Sam bit his tongue.

"Let's say hello so we can go," Jessica said, edging closer to the door.

"We just got here." The pout was evident in Chuck's voice.

"We should at least check out the entire house before we go," added Jill.

"We don't _have_ to," Sam said.

Jessica offered Sam a tender smile. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Bryce shrugged. "If that's what you _want_ to do..."

Sam bristled at the implied taunt from the monied accounting major from Connecticut. If there was one thing Sam _wasn't_, it was afraid of anything. Well, he was mildly worried about being _found out_, but he wasn't afraid of anything supernatural in the slightest.

Chuck glanced back and forth between his roommate and one of his closest buddies. "So... what are we doing?"

"We're going through the house, I guess," said Sam.

"Excellent!" Chuck said with a smile. "Who's going first?" There was just a touch of apprehension in his voice.

Bryce cleared his throat. "_You_ have the thing..."

"Well, yeah, but, if I'm in the _middle_ of the group," Chuck began, "then everybody can see if we encounter anything scary..."

Sam rolled his eyes. He genuinely liked Chuck and he got along pretty well with Bryce, but for all their supposed bravado, it was amusing to him that neither offered to take the lead. He placed a brief, supporting hand on Jessica's shoulder before he moved forward. He padded silently in his worn sneakers, his dark eyes darting back and forth, his ears on alert.

"While you guys figure out who's going to lead," said Jessica, "why don't we just follow Sam?"

Bryce and Chuck both turned to see Sam standing by the door further into the house. The roommates tried to hide their relief, but it wasn't that well masked.

Jessica caught up to Sam, Jill and Chuck followed, and Becky and Bryce brought up the rear.

"To the spirits that are in this house... please show us a sign that you're here," Jill said softly, watching Chuck's EMF meter closely.

"I don't think they heard you," Chuck told her.

Jill repeated her request a little louder.

"That's exactly what you want to do," Bryce said. "Alert spirits to our presence... let them hear us coming so they can hide and jump out and take us to our early graves..."

Becky punched him lightly in the arm. "That's so not funny."

"It might not be a bad idea to take the _bear_ approach to this," Sam said. "They may be more afraid of you than you are of them... Bryce might be onto something."

"Who's brilliant idea was this again?" Jessica asked.

Sam scoffed lightly.

"It was a group decision," Chuck said diplomatically. "Bryce found the place online, I ordered the EMF meter, and Sam's vote not to go was vetoed."

"And who is it who's leading the way?" Becky goaded.

"He's probably just in the lead to get us out of here as quickly as possible. Right, Sam?" asked Bryce.

Sam shook his head, leading them deeper into the house, across squeaking, rotting floorboards of the hallway.

Jill reached back, getting Bryce's attention before tiptoeing quietly behind Jessica, poking the blonde square between the shoulder blades.

When Jessica screamed, Sam pulled her close and protectively behind him. It took every last bit of willpower _not_ to reach for the iron knife he'd brought along. He was glad he'd waited, when he heard the rest of the group chuckle.

"Guys, that's not funny," Sam said, shooting them all a disappointed look.

"It's a _little_ funny," Chuck said quietly.

Sam sighed, turning back to pay more attention to the real potential dangers as opposed to his friends behind him. While he'd released Jessica, she found his arm and latched onto it tightly. He glanced over at her briefly, feeling her fear permeate through her.

Becky grinned, leaning forward to whisper to Jill: "_Nice_ job!"

Jill smiled back at her. After all, the main reason Jill and Becky had agreed to come on the adventure was to try to convince Jessica that Sam was a good guy, a _great_ guy for her.

Before Becky was able to completely pull back and rejoin Bryce, the EMF meter spiked, the light going from green to yellow, clear to orange.

"Oh, whoa, hey guys, look!" Chuck said, feeling an exhilarating rush of excitement tempered with ice cold fear.

Jessica gasped. Jill swallowed hard.

Sam was the only one nonplussed. "Uh, Becky?"

"Y-yeah?" she asked, her eyes wide as she watched the lights start to head back to green.

"Is your phone still on silent, after the English exam today?"

"Wh..." She paused for a moment, reaching into her purse and digging around until she found her cell phone. It was lit up, as her brother Zach was trying to call her. "Oh... How did you know?"

Sam pointed at the EMF meter. "It's not a ghost-only detector. I would think an engineering major might realize that," he said, picking on Chuck only lightly.

"Your cell phone gives off electromagnetic signals... that's how it works," Chuck explained sheepishly as the hallway dead-ended at the dilapidated kitchen.

The cabinet doors hung askew off the hinges. The counter tops looked dingy even in the flashlight beams. There was an empty space where a refrigerator should've been, and deep scratches on the floor where it had clearly been removed.

"To the spirits in the kitchen... what's for dinner?" Bryce asked with a wry grin.

"Oh, c'mon. Like the ghost of chefs past is going to cook us something," commented Becky.

"This place really doesn't look all that scary," Jill commented, looking at the fading remnants of a calendar on the wall from the early sixties. "Like my grandma's house, really."

"This is turning out to be pretty lame," Sam said, hoping that the rest would get the hint and they could leave now and, this time, without the playful harassment.

"You aren't impressed with the spirit of Little Becky's cell phone?" asked Bryce, earning him a light slap from his girlfriend.

"You can can the _little_ crap. Seriously," she huffed.

Bryce just smiled. If she didn't react to it, he'd stop. Seeing as how it was the same reaction every time, with minor variations, it was fun to tease her.

Jessica held onto Sam's arm a little tighter. "Did you hear that?" she asked in a deathly quiet whisper.

"Hear what?" Sam asked.

"I didn't hear anything. And neither did the EMF," Chuck said, tapping the side of the device again. Just as he did so, however, the lights spiked all the way to red before returning to green. "Uh..."

Sam hated the prospect of having to fight a ghost in front of his dearest, closest friends at Stanford. The ones who would probably leave him high and dry the moment he started busting Slimer. On the one hand, he wished his brother Dean was there. On the other, he wished _he_ was anywhere but there.

Becky checked her phone. "That's... That wasn't me this time," she said quietly.

"Okay, everybody, just remain calm," Sam said.

"_Calm_?" repeated Chuck. "This is what we came here for. A real-life encounter with a specter. A spook. What do you think it'll be? A full-torso floating apparition? What?"

"The scientific study just isn't there," Jill said rationally.

Sam wondered if the biologist was trying to convince them or herself.

Bryce took the moment to crack a joke, watching intently as the reading returned to the harsh red. "Okay, so Chuck is definitely Egon. I think I'm Venkman... So, Sam, that leaves you with Ray or Winston. Which one is it going to be?"

Sam pursed his lips, preventing himself from telling them that they were piss-poor paranormal investigators.

Jessica shrieked when she felt something cold brush against her arm.

"Jess?" Sam asked, instantly on alert.

"S-something touched me!"

Sam pulled her closer.

"If there _is_ something here, please give us a sign of your presence again," Jill said calmly.

"The EMF meter readings aren't enough?" Bryce asked. "Or Jess's supposed 'encounter?'"

"There was nothing _supposed_ about it, Bryce. Something touched me and it was cold and it was very _real_."

All the girls (and Chuck) screamed when there was a loud sound from the living room. It sounded like the front door slammed open.

Sam circled back, edging along the wall, dodging the loose strips of faded wallpaper, pulling out his trusty knife. If it meant the difference between dying there and living on to potentially finish school, even at the risk of being completely friendless, he had to take it.

Very clearly, they all could hear the heavy footfalls, like boots. They were methodical, even.

Jessica held her hand over her mouth to keep from making any other noises.

Becky lost all of her attitude, holding onto Jess. Jill's fingernails dug into Chuck's arm.

Chuck looked questioningly at Bryce, who was torn between helping Sam and protecting the girls.

When the door to the kitchen swung open, Sam moved, trying to attack the newcomer.

The lanky pre-law student was easily handled, however, finding his face pressed to the wall, getting entirely too close a look at the dated floral print of the paper.

"Everybody out! This is private property."

Sam stiffened slightly, _recognizing_ the booming voice.

"We... we didn't... Listen, we didn't mean anything by this, we were just... We didn't touch anything. We didn't break anything. We didn't _do_ anything, we were just-" Chuck practically tripped over his tongue, trying to explain why they were there.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before, trust me. Kids like you, bored on a Saturday night, waiting for a horror movie or something. Figure you'll get your kicks here. Well, not on my watch, bucko. Take a hike."

"Hike taking, got'cha," Chuck said. He turned off the EMF meter, dropping it into the pocket of his jeans before guiding Jill quickly toward the door.

Becky and Jessica started to follow, but the group stopped entirely when they realized Bryce wasn't leaving, and Sam was still being held captive.

"We'll go, peacefully, but it's all of us together or not at all," Bryce said. "Let our friend go."

"C'mon, you mean this runt?" scoffed the newcomer, noting well Sam's height.

"Jerk," muttered Sam.

"Bitch," came an _almost_ affectionate return.

"There's no need to resort to name-calling," said Chuck.

"You were supposed to be takin' that hike, _beanpole_."

Chuck didn't exactly take kindly to the nickname. "Just let Sam go, all right?"

"Sammy's going to be right behind you. Don't worry."

"Go on, guys," Sam said calmly and confidently.

"Sam," Jessica said, her voice full of concern.

"It's fine, Jess. Bryce, take them out of here."

"We're not leaving without you," said Bryce stubbornly.

Sam sighed. "Just... start heading down the hall, all right? I won't be long, will I?"

"Nope," said the newcomer. "Won't take long at all."

Chuck reluctantly led Jill down the corridor. Bryce didn't want to, but he herded Jessica and Becky away as well.

"Was that really necessary?" Sam asked, shoving an elbow back into his "captor."

"Oh, c'mon. You telling me you'd rather me welcome you with open arms, little brother?"

"No," Sam said, looking into the eyes of his big brother, Dean, for the first time since he'd left for college. "What are you doing here?"

Dean looked at his brother condescendingly.

"A job?"

"_Yahtzee_."

"But..."

"C'mon. What were you doing? Your pal had an EMF meter. I remember, quite clearly, when you left, you told Dad you weren't doing this again _ever_."

"It's a long story," Sam admitted. "Where _is_ Dad?"

Dean reached out, guiding Sam's wrist to shine the flashlight on his watch. "About ten minutes out."

"I gotta go."

"Sammy..."

"I don't want to _see_ Dad."

"Just..." Dean sighed. "You're all right?"

Sam hesitated. His brother Dean was notoriously _annoyed_ at anything even remotely close to showing emotions or feelings. The concern was... _different._

"I'm fine," Sam said with a nod.

The mood changed nearly instantly. "Fine?" he repeated. "Really? I figured you must be suffering from some kinda _head trauma_ to come waltzing into a haunted house without taking some precautions."

Sam showed his brother the knife.

Dean, however, reached into the duffel bag he'd dropped when he'd entered the kitchen and offered his brother a can of salt.

Sam looked at the proffered seasoning. "Dean, c'mon..."

"What?"

"You really want me to take the Morton's out with me? What am I supposed to tell my friends?"

"That it's protection."

"No, what am I _really_ supposed to tell them?" Sam asked, growing increasingly short-tempered.

"Don't really care," Dean said, _forcefully _placing the item in Sam's hand. "Just stay outta places like this, understood? Not without _real _equipment."

Sam sighed heavily. "Yeah, all right."

"Get going, before Dad..."

Sam smiled tightly. "It was nice to see you, too, Dean."

Dean just nodded.

* * *

Chuck couldn't help but notice the dark look that had taken to his roommate's eyes. While he was concerned, Bryce looked ready to _kill_ to protect Sam. While he deeply cared for his friend, he wasn't sure he could _ever_ kill someone.

Sam wasn't a pushover. And the guy had handled Sam like he was nothing.

Chuck knew he didn't have a chance against him. Bryce, maybe, might be able to get a few good punches in, but he wasn't a prize fighter either.

Jessica was shaking like a leaf, looking back at the door to the hallway. Every second that passed, it seemed more and more unlikely that Sam would ever come walking through the door unharmed. Granted, there wasn't screaming, or the sounds of a fight. But what if Sam hadn't been given the opportunity to fight back? What if he was back there, lying in a pool of his own blood unable to call for help? Her mind kept traveling to the worst case scenarios.

Jill glanced at Becky on Jessica's other side. Even surrounded by two of her best girlfriends, Jessica was inconsolable. "What do you think we should do?" Jill asked.

"I say we call the police," Chuck said.

"Technically, we're trespassing," Bryce pointed out.

"Well, fine, we'll all get arrested. Hopefully they'll send _two_ paddy-wagons," Chuck said, drifting off. He was looking for a smile from someone, but they were all too on-edge for that.

"There was a backdoor into the kitchen," Bryce said, pacing slightly as he thought aloud. "We could circle around the house, get the jump on that guy."

"Did you _see_ how he handled Sam? Do you honestly think we have a snowball's chance on Tatooine?" Chuck wasn't liking Bryce's idea anymore than Bryce had liked his plan.

"We can't leave without Sam, though," Becky said.

"Sam!"

Jill and Becky both looked up, shocked, as Jessica slipped from their supportive hugs and rushed to Sam, who had just emerged into the living room.

The lanky former hunter had barely had the time to brace himself before impact, as Jessica threw her arms around him. He smiled a little, realizing that, while he might not get along with his family, there was more to life than just those related by blood. "I'm all right, Jess," he promised, tentatively hugging her back.

"Uh, buddy, is that... is that _salt_?" Chuck asked, puzzled.

Sam tossed the canister at Bryce, who caught it easily. "That guy back there is kind of weird."

Bryce frowned. "I guess, if you're going to own a supposedly _haunted_ house, you'd have to be."

"Hey, guys?" began Jill. "I have an idea... I think our new plan should be: let's get the hell outta here."

"Definitely," Sam said, following the other two couples out, keeping an arm around Jessica.

Bryce stopped just off the porch, spotting a glistening vintage Chevrolet in the moonlight.

Chuck glanced from the Impala back to Sam, who had a peculiar expression on his face. "Crazy guy drives a nice car."

"It's all right," Sam said, dropping his hand to Jessica's, to guide her down the stairs, in and amongst the rest of the group, and to her waiting car.

The six of them had piled into two different cars when they'd left campus, hers, and Bryce's. Jessica wasn't so sure, after everything, that she should be the one driving. "Sam, would you...?" She drifted off, offering him her car keys.

"Yeah." He glanced back at the others, as they were starting to make their way toward Jessica's and Bryce's waiting cars. "Anybody riding with us?"

Jill shook her head. "You two go on..." After all, one of the main reasons for the group outing had been to nudge those two together. As strange as the night had turned out, it had worked.

Sam nodded, making sure Jessica was in the passenger seat and buckled up before he slid behind the wheel, starting her hatchback and pulling out of the long driveway.

"Salt?" Chuck asked again, looking at Bryce's parting gift.

"Well... We might not have seen a ghost, but I think this definitely counts as _peculiar_, don't you think?" asked Bryce.

The four remaining looked up as another set of headlights turned down the driveway.

"Time to go," Chuck announced quickly, practically pushing Jill into the backseat and joining her.

Bryce and Becky jumped in, and his sleek sedan sped away, past the large, scary-looking black truck with the monster tires.

"Let's make a pact. Right now," Chuck said, looking out the back window of the car. "No more ghost hunts. Like, _ever_."

For a moment, Becky and Jill were in agreement. Until, that is, Bryce spoke.

"You realize how much you sounded like _Shaggy_ there, right?"

Chuck glanced back at his friend at the wheel. While Freddie may have had blonde hair in the cartoon, he did seem to share Bryce's swagger. And Becky was a pretty girl, rather like Daphne. And his exquisite Jill was so incredibly smart, very much like Velma. "Well... _Zoinks_."

* * *

End.


End file.
